Snow from Thursday to Friday morning will be the first of three disruptive winter storms to parade through the midwestern and eastern United States in mid-March.

Over much of the next 10 days or so, cold weather will be more persistent than it has been during the past 10 weeks, relative to average. The pattern will not only bring a whiplash in terms of temperature, it will also pave the way for opportunities for snow.

"The first storm will spread snow from part of the lower Great Lakes region to the central Appalachians, the upper part of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England, prior to the end of the week," according to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams.

In some locations, the storm will begin as rain then transition to snow.

The area that stands the best chance of accumulating snow will be between Interstate 70 and I-90. Even though it may snow for only a four- to eight-hour period, the snowfall rate can be intense for a time.

There is the potential for 6 inches of snow along the Interstate 80 and I-99 corridors in Pennsylvania to the I-84 corridor in southeastern New York state and near I-95 in southern New England. In this swath, the snow can fall at the rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour for a short time, which can quickly cover the road surface.

Road conditions may change quickly from wet to slushy to snow-covered from late Thursday night to the Friday morning rush hour.

"Morning rush hour could be slippery from parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, southern New York state and northern New Jersey to southern New England," Abrams said.

Motorists should allow extra time for their commute.

Flight delays are likely by Friday, especially from Cleveland and Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.

No worse than a mixture of rain and snow is likely for the cities of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. However, there can be some slushy roads for commuters well north of the cities.

The storm will race out to sea on Friday afternoon. Natural melting and treatment with ice-melting compounds should allow roads to be just wet during the afternoon. Where roads and sidewalks remain wet into Friday night, slick spots can develop.

“Following the Thursday to Friday morning snowfall, there can be additional threats this weekend and next week for portions of the Midwest, Northeast and South,” Abrams said.

As colder air rushes in across the lower Great Lakes and central Appalachians, locally heavy snow showers could be a hazard for motorists along the I-80 and I-90 corridors of Ohio, western New York and western Pennsylvania during Friday afternoon.

A storm bears watching from early this weekend over part of the Midwest to late this weekend in the Eastern states, south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The storm during Saturday night and Sunday could bring accumulating snow as far south as Tennessee and North Carolina.